College education has come a long way in the past 10 years. One is no longer required to show up in a classroom at a certain time on a certain day on a given college campus. There are now fewer limitations and many adults, young and old, are taking advantage of all that college life has to offer.

Having been exposed to both college campus life and online colleges, I have seen that there are many advantages to both learning styles.

Advantages of Traditional College Education:

For younger adults, college campuses offer an environment in which the student will learn not only in the classroom, but also out of the classroom. Living away from home for the first time, learning how to budget money, and dealing with others are all life skills that are acquired.

Students who learn through auditory means benefit from lecture halls and classroom settings. The traditional college setting offers these students the ability to listen to a lecture, discuss the lecture, and ask questions regarding the lecture.

Group projects are handled face-to-face, which eliminates many misunderstanding among students. Teams are also less likely to be randomly chosen, which offers the student the ability to choose team members that they work well with.

Lectures are more interactive, offering students with varying learning styles a greater ability to learn the material. Students not only read the lecture material, but they also listen to it and discuss it.

Student has the ability to meet face-to-face with professors, which many find to be beneficial when having difficulty grasping core concepts.

Advantages of an Online College Education:

Student has the ability to complete work at any time of day, offering a more flexible schedule.

Student work groups do not have to meet at the same time, helping to eliminate scheduling conflicts within the group.

Online college offers non-traditional students the ability to work and earn their college degree at the same time. This is an advantage to many working adults who would not otherwise have the opportunity to return to school to earn their college degree.

Students are exposed to an education style that emulates that of a business environment. This enables students to gather greater understanding of how business teams work, how important open communication is, and how to meet deadlines.

Students are required to work in teams, allowing the student to learn team dynamics and deal with complications of those dynamics as they are presented.

It is clear that there are many advantages to both a traditional college education and online degrees. As a prospective student, it is important for you to access which college experience is right for you.